Dwarven Daughter
by eowilmathiel
Summary: Mira has always been best friends with Ari, who finds out a shocking secret about her past. This pushes them to join up with Thorin Oakenshield's company on their quest to reclaim a homeland. (lots of dwarves in this story, consider yourself warned)


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 ** _I do not own the Hobbit! I am just a huge fan : )_**

 ** _I apologize for any mistakes that are in this story, whether they be grammatical errors or an error with some detail about Middle Earth and its history. There is way too much for me to know about all the smaller countries, but I tried to base as much of this in fact as I could. So please enjoy and leave a review with any suggestions, comments or criticism!_**

"Come on, Mira!" Ari yelled at me. "We're almost home and you're dragging your feet now?"

"Technically, I'm not the one doing the walking," I said, patting Frost's sweaty neck. We'd been travelling together for a long time now, and the hearty pony had never let me down, though she was getting along in years. "Frost just needs a minute. She's not the same wild thing she once was."

Ari crinkled her nose, then nodded. We both slowed to a standstill at the side of the stream we were following and let the poor ponies drink as we relieved our waterskins of their stale water and refilled them with fresh. Before long we were back on the road again with lightness in our hearts.

Ari and I had been travelling for about a year now, but despite our love of seeing new places and meeting new people, we were ready to sit down in our dwarvish village with a large ale and my mother. She had raised both of us single-handedly, as Ari was an orphan and I didn't know who my father was. Mother claimed that she didn't know, but I could always tell when people were lying and she was no exception.

As our ponies climbed the steady incline, Ari and I sang songs that we had learned. Mim, my mother, loved to hear all about our adventures. This trip had been to the Blackwood forest, which wasn't terribly far away but had a terribly mysterious rumor. Ever since we learned of its existence as small dwelflings, Ari had been convinced that we needed to go and explore it. It was a wonderful experience. See, no matter where we go in Middle Earth, everyone loves Ari. She is wonderful with all people, no matter their race or outlook on life. She knows how to engage them in conversation and how to make them laugh. Even the occasional orc or goblin will engage in conversation with her – until she lops their head off with her sword. Ari isn't what you would call a violent person, but she hates orcs and their kind with a passion. To be fair, most all creatures do.

We had spent many months in the Blackwood, admiring the towering trees (which were small, compared to the blue mountains where we grew up) and the vast plains that lay in between the forest and our home. There were very few people in that region of the world, and the ones that we did meet were quite skeptical of us. Ari soon had them warmed up to us and we enjoyed plenty of time in the occasional cozy house, though we never minded sleeping under the stars. One thing that we loved about travelling so often is how many different people we met. Learning about new cultures and people and their lives and how different they were from ours was fascinating to both of us, and we could never get enough of it.

However, the best part of travelling was coming home to mother. She always had our rooms waiting for us and a bowl of stew was never hard to come by in her household. Once all the initial hugs were over and the ponies gear cleaned and stored, and Ari and I were mostly cleaned up, we would sit down and go through every detail with her. She never failed to sit intently through our long tales, even if Ari and I disagreed on the minor details, and she asked good questions. Not the kind of questions that a mother might normally ask, such as "did you ever go hungry? Did you always have enough blankets? You always made sure to have one of you on watch duty, right?" No, mother always asked the right kind of questions. Questions like, "So how many orcs did you kill on this trip?" or "Who was your favorite person that you met this time?" Then, once our tales were told and mother was satisfied, we would all turn in for the night and dream of the time when we could go on another journey.

It was the thought of a night like this that propelled us forward. The ponies of course knew where we were, and eagerly picked up their pace. The thought of a nice stable with fresh feed and a roof over their heads was all that they cared about. Soon we started passing the first dwarf dwellings on the outskirts of our small village. This was called Kutg-Hurun, which roughly means 'western sleep.' It was named so because it is about a day's journey from the main settlement of dwarves in these mountains, and they would use it as an extra place to stay if they needed to move through the mountains. Eventually, some of us moved here to live a quieter life away from the bustle of the main city. The majority of the village here is built in a single cave that has a fairly narrow entrance, but then opens up to a cavern large enough for the 70-80 dwarves that live here to fit comfortably.

Ari's pony, Bear, saw the entrance first and lifted his head a little higher. Frost sensed his excitement and before we knew it, we were inside our little community. We smiled at every dwarf we saw, and they all smiled back. They knew that the village would be even more full of noise and laughter now that Ari was home. I was quiet, but that didn't mean I wasn't welcome here. Kutg-Hurun was very tight knit, and every member was loved by all. We paraded down the narrow street, waving and nodding. It was only a minute more before we were at mothers. The jingle of our ponies brought her to the doorway, all in a fluster. She paused while we dismounted, then threw herself at us.

"OH girls, how I've missed you!" She held us both tightly for a moment, then stepped back. "Alright now. Go give those ponies the stable that they deserve, then come in and get your own meal." We smiled at her retreating figure before leading our faithful friends around to the far side of the small house. Quickly, we got them settled in before shouldering their packs and making our way into the house. Mim had an amazing stew bubbling already, and she rushed around pulling out bread and bowls and spoons. After dropping our packs in our rooms, we washed up and plopped down at our spots at the table. Mim set a steaming bowl in front of each of us before taking a seat at her own bowl. Then we all thanked Mahal for the food before diving in.

"So tell me everything!" Mother gushed.

And so we did.

By the time we finished telling mother all the details of what we had done for the past ten months, it was late. We were sitting by the fire, all cozy inside from the good stew and because we were finally home. I was considering not even leaving the chair I was sitting in and just sleeping here for the rest of the night when mother's voice cut through the silence.

"I know that you two just got back, and that you might want to stick around here for a little while but…" She trailed off uncertainly. I could tell that she was uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Ari could smell another journey in Mim's words, and she was clearly already interested.

"Thorin Oakenshield has created a company that is meeting in the Shire as soon as they can all get over there."

"Where are they going?" Ari was definitely interested.

"They are going to reclaim Erebor." At that, Ari's jaw dropped open in a smile of shock.

"Is this company open to anyone who wants to join?"

"Ari!" I spoke up. "They're going to fight a dragon! We don't have any professional training for that sort of thing, and besides. We only just got back from nearly a year of being on the road."

"Why would that make a difference?"

"Those were the two reactions I was expecting to get," mother shook her head. "I was only suggesting it – if you did go, you would have to travel hard to catch up with them. I guess the wizard Gandalf has requested that they all meet in Hobbiton. He said that there'd be food, and lots of it, so I'm sure that there will be at least a few dwarves there."

I exchanged a glance with Ari. She would go if I was coming or not, but she also knew that I wouldn't let her go on a quest like this alone. Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "I really think this is a bad idea." Ari grinned. "And if I die," I continued, "then it's all your fault."

"There's something else I need to tell you," mother said. "I should have said it years and years ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. But if you go on this quest, you should know about it." Ari and I leaned forward in our seats, waiting. "I have never told you who your parents were, Ari."

"No, you said that you never knew." Ari's eyes widened as they stared at mother.

She chuckled. "Oh, I've always known. It just wasn't something that I wanted to tell a loud, busy dwarf like yourself!"

Ari squinted in confusion. "I'm not loud, what do you mean?" Mother and I both rolled our eyes but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Your mother was a normal dwarf like us. She was from Nogrod, the main city of the Firebeards, because that is what clan she was from."

I glanced at Ari, and even though I knew that her hair had a reddish tint to it, it seemed even more red now. Maybe it was the firelight. Mother continued.

"She was very good at dealing with people. She loved all and was loved by all. She was kind and smart and beautiful."

"It sounds like you knew her?" I asked. Ari was sitting silently for once, drinking in every word.

Mother smiled sadly. "I knew her very well. Eri and I were just as close as you two are. We lived together for a time because it was easier than travelling a few blocks to each other's houses all the time. Oh! The trouble that we would get ourselves into…" She trailed off, obviously lost in thought with a smile barely peeking through her beard.

"And my father?" Ari breathed softly.

Something flashed across mothers' face, I do not know what. "He was… well, he was like you, but more extreme. He was loud; we could always hear his laugh echoing through the streets, and we knew when he was looking for Eri. He loved to explore new places, and see new things, and meet new people. He was exceptional with an axe, but he also knew how to use a bow and arrow. He wasn't from Nogrod, where Eri and I lived. He was a Longbeard, and he lived in Thorin's halls." She stopped, but there was something else she wasn't telling us.

"What was his name?" I urged gently. Her eyes stayed fixed on the fire as she spoke her next words very softly.

"He was Frerin. Son of Thrain."

Silence. That was all I could hear, if we didn't count the rushing sound in my ears and the thud of my heart beating. My best friend was part of the line of Durin?! I caught her eye, and could sense her confusion. Finally she broke the silence.

"You're not joking, right?"

Mother laughed. "No, not in the slightest! You, dear, are related to the very dwarf that now rules Durin's folk. That makes this quest just as much yours as it does anyone, I suppose."

Ari nodded, and slowly a smile grew across her face. She whispered to herself, "I am Ari of the line of Durin," and jumped out of her chair. "Well, Mira, you had better get some sleep because we are leaving first thing in the morning for the Shire!" I smiled and the warm feeling returned to my heart. I watched Ari hug mother and whisper thank you in her ear before heading off to her bed for the night. Mother waited until she was gone before speaking again.

"You'll keep an eye on her? I know you always do, but a quest like this is very different from travelling just the two of you with no real destination in mind." I nodded solemnly, but she wasn't done talking. "And you, Mira, please be careful too. Some of the dwarves that are joining Thorin… well, they're not exactly the most noble lot. I just want you both to stay safe and to come back once again."

"I promise you, mother, we will meet again – when you come to Erebor after we have won the mountain. You know we will, if we have Ari on our side. Nothing can stop that dwarf!"

She chuckled in agreement, then touched the necklace that hung round her neck. It was made of small stones that Ari and I had found when we visited the sea and had a simple shell as the pendant. Ari and I made some for ourselves too, but they weren't as elaborate as mothers.

"Go get some rest, little one," she said as she kissed the top of my head. "You have a long journey ahead of you."

 ** _THAT WAS WAY LONGER THAN I EXPECTED WHOOPS but anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that!_**

 ** _I do want to mention that I am aware that Frerin probably wouldn't have been the proper age to have a kid before he died (he died in TA 2799 at the battle of Azanulbizar) and Ari was born in 2848, which would make her about 92 at the time of this quest. Just use your imagination a little bit, because I really wanted her to be related to Thorin more directly than a cousin of some sort._**

 _ **I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter of this, but keep your eye out for it!**_


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